It is time for Fall Rush again. Already events are popping up on campus, people are inviting me to different open rushes, and from the title you can guess I have something to say about the Greek system. Specifically in how it’s structural set up turns it into a classist system and heightens the socioeconomic gap on campus. I already know some Greeks are getting defensive, and let me say I am not here to pass judgement about being in Greek life. Just to discuss how the structural set up is classist and impacts those on campus.

I’ll start with how it is a classist system. Most obvious is the dues, and that someone in the national chapter thought that these were reasonable. Automatically kids from lower income families are going to look at that and know this is not an organization that they are welcome to, especially if they do not know scholarships or financial help is available. Adding to this is all the extras which the Greek system has to it. The formals to get dressed up for, having a "little", having family dinners, mandatory fundraising events--all these little extra costs add up over time. Combined with the visibility of Greeks on campus there is a walking advertisement of who has the disposable income on campus and how much they have.

Now the socioeconomic divide on campus is already tense and having constant reminders of how much more money some people have does not make it better. Of course Greek life is far from all of this tension but it does make it worse. There are kids on this campus without home internet or adequate housing or enough food or the ability to afford a laptop to do work on, and then there are kids walking around spending over a $1000 a year on a club. I am one of the higher low income kids as I have a laptop and a house and food (no home internet unfortunately) and when I am around a group of Greeks I know none of them will understand my lifestyle at all. Instantly I feel out of place since I know how my finances impact me is unimaginable to them. Of course this happens with other kids on campus, but they have the gift of anonymity for their finances, so that happens over time. When I know you are Greek I automatically get a good guess idea about your finances; and in case you haven’t noticed, there are a fair number of Greeks meaning I get constant reminders of how different I am from others on campus.

Hopefully some people reading this actually want to help the situation a little. The best way you can do that is by acknowledging that the Greek system is structurally a classist system which cuts off from anyone below a certain socioeconomic class. Do not tell people that the money is worth it when they hesitate, for all you know you could be pressuring someone to choose between the Greek system and being able to afford something like depression treatment. Stop telling kids that this is how to make their college experience complete, it makes you sound more elitist. Even if you already do not do those things stop and listen when people complain about something to do with Greek life, especially if it is money related, because every time you do that Greek life becomes just a little less classist and a little more understanding.